Signaling system.



No. 7 9,240. PATENTED MAY 9, 1905. H. W. SOUDER.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16,190}.

4SHEETS-SHBE'L' v fie F JR g. Fe 3* 53m GHMMWZ W I No. 789,240. PATENTED MAY 9, 1905.

H. W. SOUDER.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 16,1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET z.

131i [Mao we 5144/00 7 M I 7 W 3M3 h 61mm No. 789,240. PATENTED MAY 9, 1905. H. W. SOUDER.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16,1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEBT 3 wi/bnwoeo 7% 54M) e m/toe No. 789,240. PATENTED MAY 9, 1905.

' H. W. SOUDBR.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 16,1904.

4 SHEETSSEEBT 4-.

WW 1 #M 3W y QHOMWM g STATES Patented. May 9, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

HALF TO W. D. ZEHNER, OF LANSFORD, PENNSYLVANIA.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters fatent No. 789,2410, dated May 9, 1905,

Application filed May 16, 1904. Serial No. 208.308.

1'0 all w/tmn. it may concern."

Be it known that I, HOWELL W. SOUDER, a citizen of the United States of A merica. and a resident of Tamaqua, Schuylkill county, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to electric signaling systems; and more specifically it consists of an improved system of signal circuits and apparatus for electric trolley-roads operating upon the block system.

My invention is designed to produce a cheap and simple system which shall do away with all unnecessary parts and reduce the cost of installation to the lowest possible point consistent with accuracy and certainty of action.

The preferred form of apparatus embodying my invention and one modification thereof are illustrated in the accompanying four sheets of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the circuits for one block. Fig.2 is aside elevation of a working form of controller. Fig. 3 is an end elevation. Fig. 4 is a detail section on a plane-parallel to Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a slightly-different arrangement of circuits and a different form of controller.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts.

1 is the trolley-wire; 2, the feed-conductor; 3, a contact device at one end of the block with which trolley-wheel 4 is shown in contact and to which current is fed by the branch 5 of the feed-conductor, and 6 a similar contact device at the other end of the block fed by the branch 7 A wire 9 extends from contact 3 to magnet 15, and 22 is a connection from magnet15 to the track or ground Gr through resistance 22. Wire 8 connects contact 6 also with magnet 15, and pawl 14: is vibrated by said magnet.

10 is a feed connection to contact 11, with which latter radial projections 16 16 of circuit-controller 12 engage.

13 is a ratchet-Wheel operated by pawl 14:

l and having twice as many teeth as there are projections 16. One of these projections is always in engagement 'with contact 17, from which the signal-circuit 18 is supplied with current. Circuit 18 has a number of electric lamps 19 19 connected in series, with a resistance-2O in permanently-connected shunt around each lamp.

21 is a ground connection for the signalcircuit at one end of the block, and the circuit-controller 12 is at the other end of the block.

The operation of the system thus illustrated is as follows: The circuit-controller 12 is set initially so that no one of the projections 16 rests on feed-contact 11. When a car enters either end of the block, its trolley-wheel 4 establishes a circuit through the contact device at that end, as 3, the magnet 15 is energized, and pawl 14: turns ratchet-wheel 13 one tooth. This throws one of the radial projections 16 onto contact 11, and current passes from feed connection through the circuit-controller to contact 17 and circuit 18 to the ground connection 21', lighting all the lamps 19 19. When the car passes out of the other end of the block or backs out of the same end, it again energizes magnet 15, rotates the controller 12 another tooth, breaks connection with feed-contact 11, and puts out the lamps 19. The next car entering the block at either end will rotate the controller another tooth. bring another projection 16 onto feed-contact 11, and repeat the above-described operation.

While a variety of forms of circuit-controller can be used, I prefer that shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. where the magnet 15 is mounted on a base 3 1, of non-conducting material, and actuates pawl-lever 14, pivoted on standard 14 and carrying the adjustable counterbalance 14. At the other end of pawl-lever 14 is pivoted the yielding pawl 36, controlled by the plate-spring 37. This pawl operates ratchetwheel 13 on shaft 38, journaled in standards 35. This shaft also carries circuit-controller 12, which is a metal ring 39, mounted on an insulating-disk 40 and having radial projections 16 16. At every other step in the tooth-by-tooth rotation of the circuitcontroller one of the projections 16 engages gravity-contact 11, pivoted on standard 11. At intermediate steps, as shown in Fig. 2, there is no engagement with this feed-contact 11. The signal-circuit connection is through metal roller 17, spring-mounted on standard 17 and bearing on metal ring 39, which is provided with curved depressions 39 to receive the roller at each point of rest in the circuit-breakers rotation.

It is evident that the supply connection and controller might be located at an intermediate point in the block, so long as the contact devices are located at the ends of the block and the operating connections from the controller extend to them. In Fig. 5 I have shown a circuit-controller in the middle of the block, the signal-circuit beingdivided and grounded at each end. In this way a larger number of lamps can be operated from one feed connection. It is evident also that any form of circuit-controller which will alternately make and break the signal-circuit will operate the system here illustrated, and I show one other form of circuit-breaker in Fig. 5. The gravity-switch 28 in feed connection 10 is normally out of engagement with its contact 29, and current is cut off from circuit 18. If a trolley-wheel strikes contact 6, it will send current through wire 8, magnet 23, spring-contact 31, section 30 of swinging lever 26, and wire 22 to the ground. Magnet 23 will then attract armature 25 and pull lever 26 up into a vertical position, or nearly so, before contact 31 is broken. The momentum of weight 27 and of the other parts will carry the lever over the dead-center, and it will fall into position shown in broken lines, closing feed-switch 28. The next time contact is made by the trolley-wheel in going out of the block the current through wires 9 or 8 will pass to the ground through magnet 24 and contact 32, swinging lever 26 back into position shown in full lines and extinguishing the signal-lamps. Wires 8 and 9 are bridged by wire 33, so that current from the contact device at either end of the block can go to whichever magnet has its ground connection established.

It is evident that other forms of circuit-controllers, contact devices, switches, &c., could be substituted for those shown without departing from the principle of my invention so long as the features of a single signal-circuit and single controller therefor operated from either end of the block are retained.

Having therefore described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a signal system for electric railroads, the combination of a series of blocks, a single signal-circuit for each block having a permanent ground connection and a single feed connection, a circuit-breaker in said feed connection, and electromagnetic means for operating said circuit-breaker operated by a car when entering or leaving said block, said means comprising an electromagnet, an armature operatively connected to the circuitbreaker, a contact-making device located in the path of the car at each end of the block, and a circuit including said contact-making devices and the'coils of the electromagnet.

2. In a signal system for electric railroads, the combination of a series of blocks, a single signal-circuit for each block having a ground connection and a single feed connection, a rotary circuit-breaker in each feed connection, electromagnetic means for giving said circuitbreaker a step-by-step rotation, contact-making devices located at each end of each block, and conductors extending from the two contact'making devices of each block to the circuit-breaker-operating magnet of that block.

3. In a circuit-breaker the combination of a rotating wheel of conducting material pro- ,vided with radial projections, a spring contact-piece bearing on said Wheel, a yielding gravity-pawl arranged in the path of rotation of the radial projections, and an electromagnetic mechanism for giving said wheel a stepby-step rotation.

4. In a block-signal system a signal-circuit grounded at each end, afeed connection at an intermediate point,a circuit-breaker in said feed connection, and connections for alternatel y opening and closing said circuit-breaker extending to each end of the block.

5. In a circuit-breaker the combination of a rotating wheel of conducting material provided with radial projections, aspringcontact- IIO 

